With all of this extra time on our hands, Caroline and I have started baking! It’s a fun activity to do together and there are no complaints about the surplus of treats in our house. We especially love to bake cookies or my friend Dana’s delicious chocolate chip banana bread recipe !
While baking with a toddler has it’s yummy perks, it can also cause extra clean-up which none of us have time for. Here are some tips that help us keep things smooth when baking together…
Use a Kitchen Helper Stool
First, you need a kitchen helper stool. It’s one of our favorite kitchen accessories. Caroline loves to be at our level to help cook & bake. I also like having her in a contained space while I’m trying to get things done in the kitchen. She can play with toys or books on the counter to entertain herself. You can also pull the kitchen helper stool over to your refrigerator and your child can play with fun kitchen magnets – we have these ones!
Make two bowls of batter when you bake
One for you (the real batter) and a mini version (for your little one). This way no one is fighting over who gets to put ingredients in the batter and you can eliminate the risk of compromising the recipe.
Let them put a few simple ingredients into their bowl
For our cookie recipe, I let Caroline add some flour, sugar and oreos into her mini bowl. I only let her put in a small amount of each ingredient, but this helped her feel like she was baking with me. You can also add a splash of liquid (milk or water) so kids can easily mix their batter. Caroline ended up eating more oreos than adding to her bowl, but that’s the best part!
Give them their own utensils
Having kids using their own utensils helps too. Plus, it’s not always appetizing to eat treats knowing your kids fingers have been all over the batter. This way, your littles can indulge in any batter and mess they want while keeping yours in tact.
Dress the part
There are so many adorable outfits and accessories you can use to put your kids in the chef spirit. I’m always a sucker for all things customized, like this little apron. All of these cooking accessories would be a fun Easter basket addition too!
Have fun!
Baking together is not only fun but has benefits like fine motor, reading, science and math skills – of course all of this depends on their age. Enjoy! I also have a Pinterest board dedicated to my favorite sweet tooth dessert recipes that you can follow along here!
